Alex Zanardi has claimed his first ever win in the World Touring Car Championship with victory in the second racꦚe of the weekenꦉd at Oschersleben.

Zanardi, who almo﷽st lost his life following a horrific Champ Car accident at the Lausitzring in 2001 w🍷hich saw him lose both legs below the knee, started from pole position in his BMW Team Italy-Spain 320i and benefited from the traction of his rear wheel drive car to lead the SEAT Leon of Jordi Gene into the first corner.

From there Zanardi didn't look back, although behind the Italian, Jorg Muller and Andy Priaulx had both worked their way past the SEAT to make it a BMW one-two-🎀three out front.

As the🌄 laps counted down Zanardi found himself under increasing pressure from the two men behind, forced into defensive lines and locki💜ng tyres, with the trio starting the final lap nose to tail.

Into the final few corners,🀅 Muller launched his at🦹tack - briefly edging ahead - but ran wide onto the grass, allowing Priaulx through into second as Zanardi clinched his first victory in a major championship since the accident which almost cost him his life, having already won one race in the Italian Touring Car Championship earlier this year.

As his꧋ team celebrated on the pitwall, it was left to Zanardi to complete🅷 a series of donuts on the start-finish straight before an emotional appearance on top of the podium.

Second for Priaulx means he is now just a single point behind Dirk Muller in the championship standings after the series leader could only fi💫nish in sixth place behind an impressive Jordi Gene who took fourth in the new SEAT Leon and fifth placed Augusto Farfus. Rickard Rydell finished seventh ahead of the Chevrolet of Alain Menu, with Antonio Garcia and the Ford Focus of Michael Funke completing the top ten.

Independent honours went the way of the SEAT Toledo of Tom Coronel although the day rightly belonged to one of the most popular figures in motor🌞sport on his retu𒉰rn to the top step of the podium...